Real African Dishes: [MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] China Moon Hot and Sour Vegetables

* Exported from MasterCook *

China Moon Hot and Sour Vegetables

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 5 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : LowCal (Less than 300 cals) LowerCarbs
Vegan

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Aromatics:
1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root
1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 Tablespoons Chinese black beans -- coarsely chopped (do not rinse them)
3/4 teaspoon dried red chile pepper flakes
Sauce:
1/2 cup unsalted stock -- chik'n or vegetable, or China Moon Double Stock (page 72) or Vegetable Infusion (page 82)
2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Vegetables:
3/4 pound trimmed cauliflower florets -- cut into walnut-size pieces
1/2 pound trimmed and peeled carrots -- cut diagonally into rippled or plain coins 1/8-inch thick
1 pound slender green and golden zucchini -- cut into 1/4-inch rounds
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil -- corn or peanut, for stir-frying
1 Tablespoon cornstarch -- dissolved into 1 1/2 Tablespoons cold stock or water
To garnish: -- diagonally sliced green and white scallion rings

Combine the aromatics in a small dish and seal until ready to use.

Combine all the sauce ingredients through the sugar in a small bowl. Stir
to blend, leaving the spoon in the bowl.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Blanch the cauliflower for 1
minute. Scoop into ice water to chill; drain. Return the water to a boil
and blanch the carrot for 15 seconds. Scoop into ice water to a boil and
blanch the carrots for 15 seconds. Scoop into the ice water to chill;
drain. Return the water to a boil and blanch the zucchini for 5 seconds.
Scoop into ice water to chill; drain. Once blanched, the vegetables may be
held at room temperature for several hours or refrigerated overnight.
Bring to room temperature and drain off any excess liquid before
stir-frying.

About 15 minutes before serving, heat a wok or large heavy skillet over
high heat until hot enough to evaporate a bead of water on contact. Add 2
Tablespoons of the oil and swirl to glaze the pan . Reduce the heat to
moderately high. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle a bit of ginger, add
the aromatics and stir gently until fully fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds,
adjusting the heat so they foam without scorching. Don't worry if the
black beans stick to the pan; they will loosen when the sauce is added.
Add the cauliflower and toss for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and toss for 1
1/2 minutes more. Add the zucchini and toss for 30 seconds. Adjust the
heat to maintain a merry sizzle and drizzle a bit more oil down the side
of the pan, if needed to prevent the vegetables from sticking.

Stir the sauce, add it to the pan, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp, 30 seconds to 1
minute. Quickly stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine it and add it to
the pan. Stir until the sauce turns glossy and slightly thick, 10 to 20
seconds.

Serve the vegetables immediately on a heated platter or plates of
contrasting color. Garnish with a sprinkling of scallion rings.

Serves 4 to 6

AuthorNote: When the wear and tear of being a carnivore is weighing on me
- or when I simply have the lust for a zesty, great plate of stir-fried
vegetables - this is the dish I make. It is simple, deeply satisfying, and
delicious eaten straight out of the pan.

You can gussy it up, if you like, with the addition of baby squash,
boutique sweet peppers, wild or domestic mushrooms, or even the
Martian-looking green cauliflower I sometimes spy in stores. It will be
good in any fashion.

Menu Suggestions: A Pot-Browned Noodle Pillow is the ideal landing pad for
this stir-fry. It is also comfortable alongside a bowl of rice and/or a
wedge of roasted [2Favorite] or even a good (bean) burger.

Choosing Fresh Chinese Vegetables: A vegetable, like a person, generally
wilts and wrinkles as it ages. So if you're looking for fresh, young
vegetables, you'll want them "full of juice" - plump, firm, and generally
smooth to the touch.

The ends tell a lot. Even if you've never seen a bunch of Chinese
broccoli, moist stems and straight-standing leaves will tell you it's in
good shape. Similarly, a head of Chinese celery may be a new sight, but a
cluster of moist roots at the base and a flag-waving of perfect leaves at
the mast should reassure you that it's fresh.

There are exceptions to the rule: A Chinese bitter melon will look
rightfully warty, and a hank of tender Chinese longbeans will seem limp.
But even the bumpy bitter melon should have smooth and juicy (not pitted)
lumps, and a properly limp longbean should be smooth and uniformly green
(not brown or scaly).

If your eye gauges that a vegetable is worthy of buying, but you don't
know the taste or name, here are two approaches to finding out whether you
want to eat it with your supper: One is nibble on a bit of the leaf right
there in the market. (If you do this with appropriate gravity, while
clutching a fat bunch of stuff to purchase, even a sour-stomached grocer
will not look at you too askance.) Or, a second route is to take the
vegetable home, untasted, and submit it to a taste test: Slice off three
pieces of the case study. Nibble on the first one raw; blanch the second
piece; saute or stir-fry the third. You'll learn not only what the
vegetable tastes like but also the way you like it best.

Cuisine:
"Chinese"
Source:
"The China Moon Cookbook by Barbara Tropp, 1992"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"May 2013"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 119 Calories; 6g Fat (43.4%
calories from fat); 4g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg
Cholesterol; 641mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 Vegetable; 1
Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 20130 2255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26097 26099 0 0 0